Bon Voyage: Istanbul, Not Constantinople

With a population greater than all of Greece, Istanbul is a huge metropolitan city with all the best to offer from both the East and the West. This city literally lies on the boarder of the East (Asia) and West (Europe), and it is also the largest city in all of Europe. There is so much for me to say about how wonderful this place is, but I will try to highlight my favorite parts. Here goes…

Shopping:

There are a few phrases I like to learn in every country I visit. Words like “thank you,” “please,” and “hello” can take you a long way with the locals when you are playing the role of a confused foreigner. Some words, however, I invariably learn through osmosis. During my weeklong immersion in a different culture, I often pick up a different set of vocabulary like “Taxi!” “One beer please,” and of course, a special set of words related to shopping like “sale,” “how much?” and “I love it!!!” I learned these shopping words quite well in Turkey, where the dollar is strong, the shopping is plentiful, and the prices are cheap.

Grand Bazaar

The Grand Bazaar is by far the most unbelievable shopping experience I’ve ever had, including mad buying weekends at market with my mother. Over 4000 shops comprise this ancient maze of rugs, tapestries, clothes, shoes, souvenirs, spices, scarves, porcelain, knock-off Gucci, gold and silver jewelry, and just about any other ware you are willing to bargain for. Any woman eagerly seeking a husband should come straight here, where I collected marriage proposals and other assorted flatteries all day from vendors eager to show off their goods. It was a lot to take, and I luckily didn’t get too carried away with spending.
If shopping were not enough motivation to visit this infamous location, then consider the educational value of bargaining skills. I thought that I was a bit of a pushover, but as it turns out I am pretty good at this bargaining thing, and in my time at the Bazaar I gained better insight into the art of negotiation. This for that, give and take, feigned insults and insincere compliments all ring through the halls of the bazaar where vendors and customers size each other up before beginning the arduous bargaining process. And it’s all bargaining here—absolutely nothing has a price tag.

Spice Bazaar

A typical transaction might go a little like this: Vendor: “Lady! Lady! You soooooo pretty! Where you from?” (insert Turkish accent)
Me: “America. Texas.”
Vendor: “Oooooh! I LOVE America! I have a cousin in Texas. Tell you what, I give you special deal on rug, because you from Texas. 380 Lira. Good price!”
Me: “Sorry, but I can’t afford that. I’m a student.”
Vendor: “Oh! Student discount! 200 Lira!”
Me: “But I don’t have any cash.”
Vendor: “Credit card??”
Me: “Nope.”
Vendor: “Parent’s credit card??”
Me: “Don’t tempt me.”

The Grand Bazaar can prove to be a little overwhelming, but it was totally worth it in the end for me. Even more sensory than the Grand Bazaar is Istanbul’s Spice Bazaar. Here I found rows upon rows of towering piles of exotic spices, herbs and teas. Many of these goods were completely foreign to me, and the blend of fragrances was euphoric making for a delightful, albeit overwhelming experience. Turkish Delight was everywhere, and Andrea and I hunted down the tastiest looking samples from every corner of the market. If all this weren’t enough, just around the corner there was an animal market packed with baby bunnies, kittens, puppies, birds of all ages and sizes, tiny turtles, hamsters, leeches, geese, fish, and just about any other pet or small livestock imaginable. I had a bit of an E.T. moment upon seeing all of these adorable animals cooped up in tiny cages piled 10 feet high. It was kind of depressing and I felt compelled to set them free, however I thought twice when my mind flashed on the possibility of Turkish prison. We screened Midnight Express on the ship, and hash or animal release, I am NOT going to prison in Turkey.

Turkish Delight

Taksim by Day

Baths:

Ahh, Turkish baths. The living, thriving remnants of an ancient tradition sprinkled generously among a bustling metropolis. I do not know where to begin in describing these day spas on steroids, but I will say that I didn’t know I was ever dirty until I entered a Turkish bath house. For Muslims of the Ottoman Empire, cleanliness really was next to Godliness, and that is how these amazing public bathhouses began. They were integral social meeting places where boys could be boys and girls could be girls and they could all get clean at the same time. Today, I was able to pay a small fee, about $60 USD, to be scrubbed down, sudsed up, and massaged in the biggest, most beautiful sauna I’ve ever seen. I felt like a princess and would go back again if I had more time in the city.

The bathhouse I went to has been in operation since the 1580’s, and is in a building that is arguably as beautiful as some of the city’s Mosques. There is a huge room with a large solid marble heated platform where everyone lays down before her bath. The room feels like a cross between a steam room and a dry sauna, but better. Here I sweat more than I knew was possible until one of the washers came over and bathed me with luxurious, bubbly soap while scrubbing layers upon layers of grime and dead skin off. I literally watched layers of dead skin peel away. Oh, and I forgot to mention that everyone is naked. But seriously, it’s not a big deal over here, so I just went with it. Afterwards there is a hot tub, thirty-minute hot oil massage, another rinse off shower and hot Turkish apple tea. Best bath ever.

Another Night Out in Taksim

Nightlife:

If I had to compare Turkey to any other city I’ve visited, it would be NYC. Both are crammed with crazy yellow taxis, both are cultural melting pots, both are major international business and shopping centers, both have a layer of delightful city grime, and both have a healthy nighttime scene for all sorts of tastes. I spent a lot of time learning about the nightlife in Istanbul and enjoyed all types of settings ranging from dance clubs to rooftop bars to acoustic Turkish renditions of “I Will Survive.”

New Friends

All in all, Istanbul was just plain fun. I shopped, I ate, I bathed, I partied and then I did it all over again each day for about a week. Not a great cultural triumph port for me, but a whole lot of fun! After staying out late every night this port, and possibly picking up a stomach bug from Turkish street food, I had better go to sleep.